How do I repair my credit? Ive already paid off delinquent accounts and now only have 1 credit card. Help?

Question

I had several delinquent accounts but have paid them all off in full. I am currently a student and have student loans but will not be required to pay them off until after graduation which is about a year from now. I currently have 1 credit card in my name and share one with my dad, with him as cosigner. How do I repair my credit so it'll be good enough for me to finance a car in a year or obtain a mortgage in 2 or 3 years? Help please?

Answer 1

For getting any kind of loan Credit History is much more important than credit score. Often, the lack of credit history is equated with bad credit. You should be aware that lenders will go through your credit report once you apply for loan for buying a house. Therefore you should polish your credit report. Anyway, in order to establish a good credit history and at the same time risen your credit score in a short time do following things:

1) Close all of your credit cards but one. It reflects in your credit report and it is a very good sign. For instance say that you have 5 credit cards with $1000 credit limit for each. Therefore you are responsible for $5000 of possible debt. But when you close 4 of them, now you are only responsible for $1000 of debt which lowers the level of risk of lending money to you.

2) If you have any loan, like car loan or any balance on your credit cards, try to pay more than your monthly payment for 6 months or something. I mean say your monthly due on your car loan is $150, try to pay $250 each month. Lenders can see these trends in your credit report and they see that you’re a responsible borrower.
If you don’t have such loans, I suggest getting a $3000-$4000 loan and paying it off in full in 5-6 months. You might pay $200-$300 of interest but you will save thousands of dollars in your home mortgage and interest rates.

Also checkout http://www.howtoestablishgoodcredit.com/Credit_Articles/index.php
There are lots of articles there, related to your question, which you can find useful to boost your credit.

Answer 2

Ok...the good news is you can repair your credit. The bad news is it will likely take more than a year. Basically, the only thing that repairs your credit is time. Using the credit cards you currently have, ALWAYS pay them on time. The more times you make the payments before they are due the higher your credit rating goes. Speaking from experience (I had to declare bankruptcy about 4 years ago) the best way to improve your credit is to USE the credit cards. Don't go hogwild and run up a massive bill though. Make the payments, even if it's just the minimum. You don't have to pay the card off every time, that may or may not help you at all. The fact that you can maintain a balance on the card, but still make the payments will prove to other creditors that you are good for the loan you are applying for.
Hope that helps...:)

Answer 3

Unfortunately, you cannot build new credit and forget about the old credit. I'm sorry that you've been put in this situation, but I do have some simple steps to get you back on track. The easiest way to get credit, first is to develop and establish a banking relationship, although this doesn't directly build credit it does start a reference point in which creditors can see that you handle your finances responsibly. What can stem from having a checking and savings account with a bank is that you could possibly qualify for a low-balance credit card to start out with if at all a secured credit card. Although you would have to make a deposit to secure a line of credit, the deposit would garner interest meanwhile you've proving your credit worthiness. Usually after 6 months to a year, the card can convert to an unsecured status and you can receive your deposit back, with interest. Another thing is to have the bills that you do pay on time reported every month. (PRBC) http://prbc.com/consumers is a reporting agency that you can enroll in to have payments that you make every month reported just like anything else is reported on your traditional credit reports. Items such as rent, utilities, phone, day care, remittances can be reported and compiled into a Bill Payment Score that can be used in conjunciton with your credit reports. I strongly suggest checking out this website. Although you won't be able to forget the credit you have, you can improve it and get it to the credit that you want it to be.

Answer 4

For starters try and not to be delinquent anymore on your current credit cards that will help moving forward. To show them that your responsible, if you use the credit cards you have now, try and pay off the amounts each month in full if you can. If you have roommates try and get the bills you guys pay in time in your name so you can get credit for paying those off on a regular basis. Your still young so right now this is the best method in generating better credit in my opinion. Your dad will still be able to cosign for your car or mortgage so don't stress about it too much. Good luck.

Answer 5

1) Ask for credit reports from the bureaus.

2) Look out for any errors in it.

3) Prepare a Credit Dispute Log recording the details of problems and errors.

4) Contact telephonically the original debtors with whom you are having a dispute. Record the details of the call, especially the name of the person with whom you spoke and a brief overview of the agreements.

5) Send the certified letter to the original debtor.

6) Send letters to collectors, disputing the bill. Also, send the proof of payment to the original lender.

7) Fill out the dispute form available at the credit bureau.

8) Write a letter for each disagreed item separately and send it to the credit bureau by certified mail. Attach the proof to support your claim.

9) The bureau will provide you a reference number. Call up the bureau with this reference number and find out the progress of the matter.

10) Maintain a Credit File containing detailed records of your case.

Answer 6

First of all it takes time to restore credit scores. Secondly, if you only have one credit card open, you're going about things the wrong way. The first rule to managing credit is to pay off debts, but keep lines of credit open to maintain positive ratings and credit depth.

I would recommend opening another credit card, and paying it off each month. You need more lines of credit. Perhaps even open a second card as well, or make sure a cell phone bill or similar credit line shows up on your credit report.

It sounds like you have a lot to learn. Start here:

http://www.thetruthaboutcreditcards.com

Answer 7

The only thing you can do is keep your payments current and make no mistakes. Time is on your side. You have to be patient.